A Gift of Beer

 I had a very pleasant lunch at Shepherds yesterday.  The bacon butty was very good, and so was the company - an old friend who was re-visiting Hay.

She has been living in Suffolk, and came bearing gifts - three bottles of Adnams ale!  I started drinking real ale when I lived in Norwich, many years ago, and one of the first breweries I was introduced to was Adnams, who have their brewery (and lighthouse!) in Southwold.  Whenever I have time when I go to Hereford, I stop into the Lichfield Vaults, where one of their regular beers is Adnams Broadside.

The beers I was given are Lighthouse, a light golden beer, Innovation IPA and, to my delight, Adnams Old Ale - I'd thought they stopped brewing it.  It's a dark brown mild-style beer, first brewed in 1890!  It even appears in a song from the Kipper Family, who come from Trunch in Norfolk and sing comic songs.  The chorus of Bald General Coote goes:

"He led his men with Courage Bold,

With Bullards Best and Adnams Old,

Napoleon brandy and Navy Rum

and now at last to the dregs we are come"  

I love the local breweries, like Wye Valley, and Lucky 7 which is brewed in Hay, but Adnams will always be one of my favourites.